1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to attachments to recurve and/or compound bows, and more specifically, to an attachment for retaining an extra arrow on the bow independently of a detachable bow quiver to allow a hunting archer an extra shot when the quiver is detached from the bow.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Quivers have long been used by hunters to conveniently hold extra arrows. When a qiver is attached to a bow however, the bow becomes bulky and somewhat awkward to maneuver especially if the hunter is hunting from a blind side. The quiver also adds weight to the bow making it more difficult to hunt with the bow. When a bow is shot with a full compliment of arrows held in the quiver, the force of releasing the arrow may cause the arrows to vibrate resulting in noise that can scare away the prey.
To solve the problems inherent in having a quiver attached to the bow at all times, various designs of detachable quivers have been developed. One example of such a detachable quiver is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,101 to Spitzke wherein six or more arrows are retained in a bow mounted quiver that may be clipped on and off the bow. The detachable quiver permits a hunter to carry a full supply of arrows and may be easily removed when the hunter is ready to shoot.
The primary disadvantage of detachable bow mounted quivers, similar to the one shown in Spitzke, is that there is no provision for a second shot if the first arrow misses the mark. To make a second shot, it is necessary for the hunter to move to where the quiver has been stored, select an arrow and relocate his prey which may permit sufficient time for the target animal to escape. The movement required to obtain the second arrow frequently permits the prey to identify the location of the hunter and escape.
Some hunters keep a loose arrow near them, for example propped against a tree, which presents certain safety hazards and in the event a hunter is not careful or slips he may injure himself on the arrow. Even with the arrow being propped near the hunter, there is significant possibility that the target animal may see the hunter's movement toward the spare arrow or that a noise will be made that would warn the target animal.
Prior art qiver mounting systems are designed to be used in conjunction with a bow sight, wherein the bow sight is attached to the bow riser first and the quiver mounting plate is attached over the bow sight mounting plate. This stacking arrangement is unstable and may cause the attachments to the bow to become loose. If the bow is to be used without the quiver and it is desirable to remove the quiver mounting plate, it is necessary to adjust the sight since the sight is generally secured to the bow riser by means of the same fasteners used to secure the bow quiver to the bow riser. While the quiver mounts may include slots for assisting in the alignment of the quiver and the sight relative to one another, the site must be realigned each time the quiver is removed from the bow.
These and other disadvantages and problems encountered with prior art bow quivers and attachments are overcome by the simple and effective auxiliary arrow holder apparatus of the present invention.